Happy New Year, Twixtmas organising and the mojo returns

Happy New Year! Well, we made it through the festive season in one piece. It was kind of odd to have three big dinners on the 24th (partner's family), 25th (just us) and 26th (Mum). We spent "twixtmas" pottering around the house and then caught up with my family, all safely out of isolation, on the 31st. It went too quickly, as it always does. Neither of us had the sense to book a second week off (himself doesn't get paid if he doesn't work, so consequently only took two weeks holiday last year as it was). Already it seems a distant memory!

I came up with a plan to organise my earrings by colour. It took a few days to percolate, but I eventually decided to mount them on stiff card (I used 300 gsm watercolour paper) that I'd poked holes into with sewing pins, using a template of gridded paper (see below).

These are just the multicoloured earrings, I made eight sheets in all and sorted them by colour. Small earrings and studs work across the top row. I realised if I cut the cards in half I could also mount the hooped earrings, and those with "kidney" wires along the bottom. Genius! Now I just need to figure out a way to store the cards, and to work out how to store my other jewellery - necklaces, brooches and bangles. 

Yes, I had a bit of a stationery sort out and found a few things I'd lost track of. Apparently I have a burning desire to collect multi-coloured pens and address labels, for example - I have Marie Kondo'd my stationery cupboard and put like things together. Hopefully that will stop me acquiring more when it's unneccessary. A belated xmas present to myself was a new Brother labelling machine, though ordering things over Twixtmas takes for-EV-er, and I got the labelling tape before the machine arrived.

I love the thought of "shopping" from what I already own, it tickles me no end. You should see my t-shirt shelf, all nicely rolled ha ha. Even the Cog has started using my system. I did the same with my knits - didn't think it'd be possible to place jumpers vertically, but it is! Turns out I can actually get more in a drawer if I do that. Who'd've thunk it?! I also do the roll thing with pyjamas. It doesn't work so well on gym gear, which tends to be slippier fabrics. 

During twixtmas week I picked up my first pair of varifocals. I almost immediately dropped them outside the shopping centre, whilst attempting to take my mask off, then later on that weekend I tripped over a step and nearly stood in something I shouldn't. The peripheral vision made me feel a bit sick to start with, and weirdly tall, but my brain seems to be getting the hang of them. The Cog has got his first pair of hearing aids. They won't pair properly with W10, but they do pair with Android. Consequently I can now never tell when he's in a meeting. I can literally hear the voices in his head. I'm not sure if this is an improvement or not! He says it's better!

The crafting mojo has returned somewhat - the Cog finally coughed up for a proper work desk (a sit-stand one from Yoyo desks), and I got him to agree to turn it parallel to the window which makes the second bedroom much more accessible for both of us. In the process we accidentally pulled the curtain rail down, so this week's job is to get measured up for some new blinds. I charged the Passap E6000 back up again and made some rather dubious hats, and started a crochet shawl this weekend. Yeah, nothing like a new project to get your creative juices flowing again. I really ought to finish some of the things in progress though. They are at least all in the same bag now, which is something!